Perry’s abortion ‘transformation’: No exceptions for rape or incest

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry on Tuesday declared that had undergone a “transformation” and no longer supported abortion in cases of rape or incest.

During a campaign event in Iowa, Full Faith Christian Center pastor Joshua Verwers noted that Perry used to believe that abortion was acceptable for victims of rape and incest, but the Texas governor had recently signed a Personhood USA pledge that says abortion should be illegal in all cases.

“To me it seems kind of like a contradiction where you were a month ago,” Verwers said.

“You’re seeing a transformation,” Perry explained. “That transformation was after watching the DVD Gift of Life. And I really started giving some thought about the issue of rape and incest.”

Earlier this month, Perry and several other GOP candidates attended a screening of The Gift of Life, which was produced by Citizens United and narrated by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R).

“All I can tell you was God was working on my heart,” Perry remarked.

It wasn’t clear from his answer if the candidate still supports abortion when it is necessary to save the life of the mother.

About the Author

David Edwards has served as an editor at Raw Story since 2006. His work can also be found at Crooks & Liars, and he's also been published at The BRAD BLOG. He came to Raw Story after working as a network manager for the state of North Carolina and as as engineer developing enterprise resource planning software. Follow him on Twitter at @DavidEdwards.